Airport Extreme 802.11n network attached storage?

I would like some more information about "sharing drives" via the new Airport Extreme 802.11n.
There is little to no information in the apple tech specs about how the Airport Extreme actually shares files. Is it a standard NAS device using SMB or does it use its own priority format similar to the NDAS or SANS devices? These require a driver installed on each computer so they can access the shared drive.
Im really interested in upgrading to this device but i have to make sure that it will play happily with my other toys...
iBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Yes they are been sold, but won't ship until February.
The technical specifications currently available do not have the information you want.
It would appear that some kind of utility has to be installed as the tech page indicates that the install CD includes an AirPort Disk Utility for Mac and Windows
All it does say can be found on this page.
http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/sharing.html
http://www.apple.com/airportextreme/specs.html

Similar Messages

Airport Extreme 802.11n network question

I received my Airport Express 802.11n and could finally add it to my Airport Extreme in a new network. Man I am happy I could forget the WDS hanky panky Thx also to Bob Timmons for giving advise
For some reasons I had initial problems seeing the Airport Express 802.11n after setup but when I changed security of the Airport Extreme from WEP to WPA/WPA2 Personal and the channel to "Automatic" the Airport Express 802.11n finally popped up in Airport Utility. Did a firmware update to from 7.4.2. to 7.5.2 as well. I set Radio Mode to 802.11n (b/g compatible) to use the Wii.
Questions:
1) Airport Extreme: Wireless Network Options, Multicast rate is set to 2Mbps and transmit power to 100%. Interference robustness is checked. I guess these settings are okay ?
2) I understand the network must be seen as a hub. Do I gain any speed or else if I add another Airport Express 802.11n or does it only slow down ?
Thx for your advise

Airport Extreme: Wireless Network Options, Multicast rate is set to 2Mbps and transmit power to 100%. Interference robustness is checked. I guess these settings are okay ?
Interference robustness should only be used if absolutely necessary. Suggest that you leave this disabled and see how things work.
2) I understand the network must be seen as a hub. Do I gain any speed or else if I add another Airport Express 802.11n or does it only slow down ?
Speed falls off in proportion to the distance that the computer is located from the main router, so adding an AirPort Express will help maintain the speed in the remote area where the Express is located. It won't do anything to increase the speed of the network when you are near the main router.

Airport Extreme and NAS (Network Attached Storage)

I am using a brand new AirPort Extreme (ver. 7.4.2) connected to a Motorola cable modem, with two different MacBooks running Snow Leopard, two AirPort Express units for distributing music wirelessly around the house, and an HP multifunction printer connected to the Extreme via USB, all of which works fine.
But I recently purchased a 1TB Iomega Home Media network attached storage device (NAS), which is connected to the Extreme via ethernet cable, and I can't get the Extreme or either MacBook to recognize the NAS drive. The NAS doesn't "mount" on the desktop like a USB external drive would. It doesn't appear under "Shared" in Finder. It doesn't appear in AirPort Utility under "AirPort disks". Oddly enough the only place where the NAS does appear is in iTunes under "Shared"!
I know that the NAS device is functioning properly because my IT guy tested it at the office, connected to his PC, and it worked fine. The NAS came with Iomega "Home Storage Manager" software, which I installed but it's pretty useless because it also can't "find" the NAS and only offers to re-scan for it.
Much to my surprise there is very little information about troubleshooting NAS storage with the Extreme, either on the Support forums or in the "Apple Airport Networks" document published by Apple in early 2009.
I would greatly appreciate any guidance!
Thanks in advance,
MG

Thanks to both of you for your input. The Iomega NAS (Home Media Network Hard Drive is the model) comes ready out of the box for use with either PC or Mac.
Actually I resolved the problem by going to Iomega's tech support page. I needed to download an updated version of the Home Storage Manager software as well as 2 firmware updates to the NAS drive itself; so that it would be compatible with Snow Leopard. That was the issue. Now it appears to be working just fine.
Thanks again & happy holidays.
-MG

Cannot access external hard drive on Airport Extreme (802.11n) network.

It took me many hours to even get my Lacie 320GB hard drive on the network. I went back and forth between plugging it directly into the usb port on my PowerBook and plugging it directly into the extreme or the usb hug plugged into the extreme. It would consistently tell me that I was denied access, or I was using the wrong password when I know I was not. Eventually I found a forum that suggested creating a "shared" folder on the drive. Eventually I think I had to do a get info and give myself and others permissions to EVERYTHING on the drive and the subfolders. Then I finally got access. But then the "connection was interrupted" and I lost access completely again. I am wondering if this is a "mounting" issue. I may not be clear on what I am supposed to do to mount the exernal. I have upgraded to Leopard and have not been able to access the drive through the extreme since.

What is the drive formatted in? I had problems with mine when it was formatted in FAT32.
Tom

Supplementing Airport Extreme 802.11n network with Gigabit Ethernet wired

Right now, I have an AEBS (Gigabit Ethernet) as my Internet router and network host, with an Airport Express elsewhere in the house to extend range for wireless devices. I'm steadily gaining A/V items with Internet or networking connectivity. AEBS and the A/V equipment are in different rooms. I am concerned that setting those devices up for wireless will cause needless complexity with inferior performance to Ethernet.
Here is what I think I should do:
1. Get wall panels installed by both the AEBS and A/V equipment wired for Ethernet;
2. Set up a Gigabit Ethernet switch in the basement, into which all these Ethernet outlets would run; and
3. Connect both the AEBS and the various A/V devices into the wall (and thereby through to the Ethernet switch) through their Ethernet ports. The goal is to have all of the devices on the same AEBS-hosted network to share data and have access to the AEBS Internet connection.
Any reason this should not work? Would the AEBS and the Ethernet switch need to be in the same room for any reason? I'd just like to make sure all of my ports are running in the right direction. In particular, I'd like to know if I am making this more complicated than it needs to be.
Thanks for your comments.

What you are planning should work without any problems.

SERIOUSLY slow USB hard drive on the new Airport Extreme 802.11n

I have recently bought the new airport etreme 802.11n. Great little device, look wonderful on the office desk. I had some troubles getting it up and running on my machine but finaly got there in the end.
The USB hard drive is a great little addition that I was very excited about, untill I got it running. It is amazingly slow, for example I tried to copy a folder that contained 15 files which amounted to 135.6mb and it took 20 mins and 24 seconds to upload!
Is this just the speed that it should be uploading or is there somehting wrong with my settings.
I'm running on 3 bars of signal and the settings I'm using are:
connect with password (which is the same as the base stations password)
Automatically discover disks
Show in menu bar
If anyone knows the technical data for the transfer speeds and can confirm my queries I'd really appreciate it!
Thanks in advance

I have recently bought the new airport etreme
802.11n. Great little device, look wonderful on the
office desk. I had some troubles getting it up and
running on my machine but finaly got there in the
end.
The USB hard drive is a great little addition that I
was very excited about, untill I got it running. It
is amazingly slow, for example I tried to copy a
folder that contained 15 files which amounted to
135.6mb and it took 20 mins and 24 seconds to
upload!
Is this just the speed that it should be uploading or
is there somehting wrong with my settings.
I'm running on 3 bars of signal and the settings I'm
using are:
connect with password (which is the same as the base
stations password)
Automatically discover disks
Show in menu bar
If anyone knows the technical data for the transfer
speeds and can confirm my queries I'd really
appreciate it!
Thanks in advance
Does your drive meet these requirements?:
You can connect USB-based storage devices to an AirPort Extreme (802.11n). Learn which formats and protocols are supported.
The AirPort Extreme (802.11n) supports USB storage devices that have a block size of 512 bytes, and are formatted as Mac OS Extended (HFS-plus), FAT16, or FAT32. Not all USB storage devices use a block size of 512 bytes.
The AirPort Extreme (802.11n) shares storage devices based on the format used to initialize the storage device. For example, if HFS-plus formatting was used, AFP and SMB/CIFS protocols are used to share the device on the network. If FAT16 or FAT32 was used, SMB/CIFS protocols are used.
The AirPort Extreme (802.11n) works with disks that have a single partition and are not RAID volumes (no more than one volume per physical disk).
Note: Use AirPort Disk Utility to discover and mount AirPort Extreme-based volumes over the network.
William

AirPort Extreme 802.11n as a wireless router and local network switch?

Good afternoon,
I'm curious if its possible to have the APE in wireless network mode and connect systems via hard line as well?
I have an AirPort Extreme 802.11n set to "Create a Wireless Network" mode that is attached directly to a cable modem for internet connectevity. My issue is that while all wireless devices (several iPods, two iPhones and three laptop computers) connect to the APE without issue (and have internet access), when I try to plug in a Windows 7 desktop computer via one of the ethernet jacks, Windows is unable to connect and shows the network as "unidentified," spitting back a private IP address as opposed to a local LAN (this behavior repeats for an Ubuntu Linux box as well).
Not sure if the APE is misconfigured, this is a Windows 7 issue or if its improper use on my part (though this also precludes me from connecting a gigabit switch to the APE).
Thank you,
Nathan

Properly configured, the AirPort should provide both wired and wireless network client with Internet access.
At this point, I would recommend that you do the following as a minimum:
Power-down the modem, AirPort base station, and computer(s).
Power-up the modem; wait at least 10-15 minutes to allow it adequate time to initialize.
Power-up the AirPort base station; wait at least 5-10 minutes. Note: The AirPort's status light may continue to flash amber after it has intialized. That is because, there may be some additional configuration items necessary, like setting up wireless security, before the overall setup is completed to get a green status.
Power-up your computer(s).
If the above steps do not solve the problem, start over with step 1 above, but then perform the next steps between steps 1 & 2. above.
Disconnect the AirPort base station from the Internet broadband modem.
While all of the devices are powered-down, perform a "factory default" reset on the base station. This will get it back to its "out-of-the-box" configuration and make setting it up much easier, especially if you use the "Assist me" process within the AirPort Utility. (ref: Resetting an AirPort Base Station or Time Capsule)
After the base station resets, go ahead and power it back down.
Reconnect the AirPort base station to the Internet broadband modem. For the Extreme and Time Capsule, be sure to connect the cable to the base station's WAN (circle-of-dots) port.
Continue with step 2 in the first set of steps.
In this basic configuration, the AirPort base station will broadcast an unsecured wireless network with a Network Name (SSID) of Apple Network NNNNNN. Network clients, connected to the base station either by wire or wireless, should now be able to access the Internet through the ISP's modem. Once Internet connectivity has been verified, you can use the AirPort Utility to configure the base station for wireless security and any other desired options. Please post back your results.

AirPort Extreme 802.11n (2nd Gen) no Guest Network capability?

I have an "AirPort Extreme 802.11n (2nd Gen)" according to a serial number lookup here.
I am not sure if this is the same as MB053LL/A which is mentioned is this archived thread. (Couldn't find a way to lookup the part number + couldn't find the tech specs at apple.com.)
I was wondering if this base station has the capability to setup a guest network in addition to the primary network.
According to the above mentioned Apple Discussions thread, the base station needs to have simultaneous dual band operation capability to make this possible. (Since I couldn't find the tech specs, I'm not sure what this base station has.)
I would assume from this Knowledge Base Article that the 2nd generation AirPort Extreme is one generation too old:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3477
Am I correct?
(It's set to "Share a public IP address" under Connection Sharing.)

Hi, flips01. You are correct. Simultaneous dual-band was introduced with the 3rd generation.

WDS networking issue - Airport Extreme (802.11n) and remote Airport Express

*Background Info:*
Airport Extreme 802.11n (Fast Ethernet)
Version: 7.2.1
Wireless Mode: Participate in a WDS network (set as main)
Network Name: @Home
Wireless Security: WPA/WPA2 Personal
Channel: 1
Airport Express
Version: 6.3
Wireless Mode: Participate in a WDS network (set as remote)
Network Name: @Home
Wireless Security: WPA/WPA2 Personal
Channel: 1
Radio Mode: 802.11b/g compatible
Connect Using: AirPort (WDS)
Connection Sharing: Off (Bridge Mode)
Issue
Please help as I'm having issues with my WDS network. I've setup using both the wizard and manual and also hard reset on both units to setup again but cannot get them both to communicate to one another. Both units are showing green LED under their configuration. For my last attempt, I've tried adding the Airport ID (MAC) of the Airport Express to the Access Control and also DHCP Reservations on the Airport Extreme but still no luck.
The Airport Express (setup as remote) does not even show up in the Airport Extreme's Summary as Wireless Clients. In the WDS tab, the Airport Extreme is set up as WDS main, Allow wireless clients box checked and WDS Remotes has the Airport Express' AirPort ID in the list. On the Airport Express, WDS is set up as remote, with Allow wireless client box checked and the Airport ID of the Airport Express in the WDS Main.
I can connect clients to both units. Both units are configured using the same Network Name and have the same WPA/WPA2 security key. The Airport Extreme (main) however is connected to my broadband so any devices or clients connected to it are able to get outside. Connected devices or clients are assigned IP address via DHCP with IP 10.0.x.x. If wifi devices or clients connect to the Airport Express (remote) they are assigned a completely different IP addresses 169.254.x.x, they are not able to browse the internet or talk to other clients connected on the 10.0.1.x network. The Internet Connection configuration on the Airport Express (remote) is Connect Using Airport (WDS) and Using DHCP. I've even tried manually and entered the IP address 10.0.1.199 that I had assigned to the Airport Express from the Airport Extreme and Router Address as IP of Airport Extreme (10.0.1.1).
I think I've tried everything but I'm still having this problem. The remote Airport Express is not extending my existing Airport Extreme network. Any ideas???

Christopher,
This may or may not be helpful, or it may be something you've already tried or are aware of so I apologize if that's the case.
I have been researching ways to set up the Dual Band Network supported by the AEBS and came across your post. I've got an AEBS and (2) AirPort Express set-up currently (AEBS is main and the Express are participating in the WDS as remotes) and I'm trying to configure one of the Express to utilize a 802.11b/g compatible network while the AEBS runs a 5Ghz 802.11n Only network.
AAR, since the AirPort Express are 2.4Ghz 802.11b/g ONLY (no support for 802.11n), you have to be sure to set-up your AEBS first and select "802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)" in the Radio Mode drop-down on the AEBS before you attempt to connect an AirPort Express. The AEBS should be set-up as your "WDS main" and the Express should be set-up as a "WDS remote" for the network you established when you set-up the AEBS.
Bottom line here is the Express won't be seen by the AEBS unless the AEBS is 'looking' in the 802.11b/g 2.4Ghz frequency.
Hope this was helpful.

Airport Extreme 802.11n still in shrinkwrap -- should I return it unopened?

I just bought one of the new Airport Extreme 802.11n base stations today and haven't even had time to take it out of the shrinkwrap yet. Based on what I'm reading in this forum...I'm torn about what to do. Should I take it back unopened, or should I hang onto it, pray for no problems, and/or hope for fixes?
I had bought it primarily for the disk/print sharing features, but also to potentially take advantage of the draft-n speeds in the future. Since everything I own right now is g-only (Core Duo MacBook Pro, Airport Express hooked to my home theater, PSP, PC laptop from work), I'd be using the new AEBS only for 802.11g in the short term. However, I'd assume that ExpressCard/34 802.11n cards will come out at some point, enabling me to move to a mixed g/n network in the future.
The critical thing for me is a decent assurance that the router would work well in a g-only configuration since a friend is waiting to buy my old router. Is anyone trying to use the new AEBS in this way? If so, does it perform well, or are you seeing the same problems that the 802.11n users are seeing?

Ask yourself a question.
How fast is your internet connection?
If it is is 1-2-8 mb speed then you dont need 'n'.
If you transfer personal info between computers fast speeds allowed up to 54 will save you time.
'n' is to provide greater range like Mimo and increased transfer speeds.
But do you really need it?
No,if you dont transfer huge data,
Yes, if you want to transfer (stream video from your iTV from Mac if you spend most of your day in front of TV.
There is no substitute for a good reliable connection.
In my real world experience because I only have a 8mb ADSL connection 'g' is not the strongest and most reliable scenario to use. During the last airport update my last 3 years of uninterrupted airport connections mixed PC and Macs on WDS set up went belly up and I had posted my thoughts as well with the relevant results and now set up is fine. But at a price.
Downgraded to all on 'b' and now use my Draytek Vigor 2800VG and have AEBS put away in storage.
My signal and range is out of this world. When I decide that I have enough free time to sit in front of a TV and download movies and watch them when I have nothing better to do such as travel the world etc. etc., that is the time I will go for speed...or will I.
Dont get bamboozled by the hype. If you really want one wait for a year then decide. Let others solve the teething problems as is there want.

Airport Snow vs. Airport Extreme 802.11n

I've been using my Airport Snow for a year or two now and it's been performing very well. I connected it directly to my Comcast cable modem so it distributes IPs to my local network.
I decided to buy the new Airport Extreme because I now have a new white MacBook Core 2 Duo which has been upgraded for 802.11n.
I replaced my Airport Snow with the Airport Extreme 802.11n and put the Airport Snow aside and powered off.
All of my network works just fine and Internet access is in full operation and functional.
However, the Internet performance is abysmal using this new Airport Extreme. My wife who uses an original MacBook Core Duo wirelessly has noticed a dramatic decrease in web pages starting to load and final loading seems agonizingly slow with a long delay right at the end. On my computer I've noticed the same performance issue and it's connected to my LAN and not wirelessly.
Having used the Airport Snow for maybe two years both my wife and I have a strong feel for performance expectations and with the transition from Airport Snow to Airport Extreme 802.11n there's is a noticeable and disappointing performance degrade.
I've checked everything wrt to the Airport Extreme 802.11n configuration and as far as I can tell I've done everything correctly, plus every thing is functional as it should be.
One other thing to mention while I'm at it. The new Airport Extreme has two additional LAN ports. One would think that plugging any one of my LAN ethernet lines connect to my PM G5 into one of these would provide a like performance or even better performance vs. being plugged into an ethernet switch. BUT alas, this is not so - in fact the performance is quite a bit worse.
All of this has me quite worried thinking that I've bought into an inferior wireless solution compared to my Airport Snow device.
Have others experience anything similar to what I've described here ?
Thanks for any feedback or insights as to what may be causing this anomaly.

BTW - I really like the shared USB drive feature offered by the new Airport Extreme 802.11n. Having a device such as this allows my wife and I to share a storage space very easily with out portable MacBooks around the house.

Setting up Time Capsule with existing AirPort Extreme 802.11n and AirPort Express.

I already have and am using an AirPort Extreme 802.11n with an AirPort Express. I want to set up a Time Capsule 802.11n. Which is the best way to configure this?

... Which is the best way to configure this?
The answer depends on what you need the TC to accomplish. If all you need it to do is perform Time Machine backups, simply have it join your existing network in client mode. It would be if it were to connect to your existing router (presumably your Extreme), not through an "extended" wireless network (presumably your Express).
If you need the TC to "extend" your network so as to serve additional wireless clients, you can do that also. Configure it to "extend" the network created by your Extreme.
As you can see it's quite versatile.

I have a pc running windows 7. I got an Airport Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi and the printer is now plugged into the Airport. The wireless router works fine but the printer shows as offline in control panel and in word. The printer is a HP LaserJet CP1525nw.

I have a pc running windows 7. I got an Airport Extreme 802.11n Wi-Fi and the printer is now plugged into the Airport. The Airport works fine but the printer shows as offline in control panel and in word. The printer is a HP LaserJet CP1525nw.

+For now I have it set to Share Public IP address - Is this correct for my Network Setup with The Airport Extreme being the only router being used ?+
This would be the correct setting if the AirPort Extreme is connected to a simple modem (one ethernet port).
*Settings I have Enabled*
5 GHz name indicates that you have elected to use the option to assign a separate name to the 5 GHz network. This will allow you to "tell" compatible computers to connect to that network, rather than the slower 2.4 GHz network
Use Wide Channels is recommended for 5 GHz operation.
Interference Robustness often does more harm than good and should not be used unless you know you are in a area with a lot of wireless networks and you feel that your network is experiencing interference issues from a nearby network.

Not able to see disk connected to AirPort Extreme 802.11n

I just installed my AirPort Extreme 802.11n Wireless Base station. Wireless internet works like a charm, however, I cannot see my external hard disk when it is connected to the base station (amber light blinking and when checking the problem, I am told that "Disk needs repair"). When connecting the hard disk directly to the PC, I have no problem seeing the data. Any tips or tricks out there... ?
AirPort Extreme 802.11n Windows XP

I finally got my 500 GB Western Digital MyBook USB drive to work by reformatting it to HFS+ format.
Of course, before I could do that, I had to copy all my files onto another hard drive. That job took a day to accomplish.
I work with Poser, and have a lot of content installed... We're talking thousands of files.
Once the drive was reformatted to HFS+ format, I copied everything back over. That took another day. Then I connected to the AEBS.
The USB drive was immediately recognized. It was incredibly easy to access the USB drive on my PCs. It required no effort on my part, except to supply the password.
In the end, I've decided this effort is a failure.
The drive is way too slow for my needs. Also, one of my vital Poser utilities (CorrectReference Pro) will not work properly with the USB drive on the AEBS.
I am currently in the process of copying all those files over to two external USB hard drives attached to my other PC.
Then I plan to unmount my 500 GB MyBook drive, and reformat it back to NTFS. I'll let the Notebook PC have it on a direct connection again.
I have a couple "junk" External Hard drives that are 160 GB. Maybe I'll use one of those as an Airport disk...
But I won't be using the Airport disk for anything important. It's too slow.

Connecting AirPort Express to AirPort Extreme 802.11n

The following steps helped me set up an AirPort Express base station connected to a set of wireless speakers with my new AirPort Extreme 802.11n base station. I’m posting this because the process was not entirely intuitive, at least not to me.
I’ll assume you have set up the AP Extreme base station to connect to the internet and run your home network and that you are connected to your wireless network.
Make sure you set-up the AP Extreme base station to broadcast in 802.11n + 802.11b/g modes, i.e. both at once. You will also have to check he setting that allows the newtork to be extended.
Reset the AP Express base station so that in runs on the factory defaults by pressing the reset button with a paper clip. Wait for it to completely restart.
Launch the AirPort Utility. You should see both your AP Extreme and AP Express base stations in the left hand column. Click on the AP Express base station you just reset. When it asks to switch wireless networks do so. Then hit continue.
On the next screen select “Connect to my current wireless network” option and hit continue.
On the following screen select the “Extend the range of my AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express network” and hit continue. Do NOT select the “Join my wireless network” option even though it says this is how you connect to wireless speakers. This is the part that was not obvious to me. When I tried this the AirPort Express base station flashed orange and wouldn’t connect despite waiting 30 minutes.
Chose the network you wish to extend from the drop down menu. My keychain supplied the password for the network.
Give your base station a name and hit continue.
Select the main base station in the list provided. This is the one connected to the internet and hit ok.
The Airport Utility software will configure the network to accept the AirPort Express base station.
Now all that’s left is to connect your wireless speakers to the AirPort Exppress base station. You can now play music through AirTunes while being connected to your fast 802.11n network.

I recently setup an Airport Express in conjuction with my Extreme Base Station. I'm not really understanding how this method enables 802.11n connection speeds (via Base Station) to the internet and also allow streaming music through the Express at 802.11b/g. It's my understanding that if you want to be able to access the internet AND stream music at the same time the Express needs to join the network. In order for the Express to join the network (able to recognize the Base Station)...the Base station needs to be changed from 802.11n only to 802.11n (802.11b/g compatable)....which essentially means your connecting to the internet at 802.11b/g. If your wanting to keep 802.11n only on the base station...you would have to create a seperate network via the Express to stream music. What this means is you CANNOT access the internet and stream music at the same time. You would have to manually change Airport in the taskbar to do one or the other.
Am I off base here? If I am missing something please let me know...because it would be great to be able to connect to the internet at 802.11n only with a multi-case rate set to 23Mbps vs. the 11Mbps (maximum) of the 802.11b/g compatable option.
I guess what is confusing me is that my setup is basically the same as what was described above..minus having the "Extended Network" being enabled. How does extending the network change things?

Airport Extreme 802.11n network attached storage?

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